Marionette Fantasia
by Butterfly Knot
Summary: The adventure of a little white puppet and little cerulean kitten in a winter snowy land. KID & Conan centric X'mas AU fic.
1. Snowy Encounter

**Disclaimer:** Detective Conan & Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho.

**Characters:** Kaitou KID (Kuroba Kaito) & Edogawa Conan (Kudou Shinichi)

**Genre:** Fantasy, alternate universe, fluff, possible romance (KID x Conan) later

**Words: **968

**Summary:** The adventure of a little white puppet and little cerulean kitten in a winter snowy land.

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**Marionette Fantasia **

**Chapter 1: Snowy Encounter**

It was a typical winter night in Ekoda Village, where snowflakes were gently floating through the sky and covering the landscape with pure fluffiness. While all villagers are in deep peaceful slumber, there was one small figure who was still awake, frantically searching for something in a dark quiet attic.

"Geez, where the heck is it? Urghhhh…" The small white puppet whined as he pushed his round stuffed head and big white top hat through the items inside a large wooden chest, while trying to struggle its way out of said chest. He took another look around his surroundings, before he decidedly hopped off the chest and landed on his tiny feet and hands with a light thump.

Moonlight reflected off the puppet's silver monocle as he stood up to pat the dust away from his white suit, and released a disappointed sigh. He had been searching through countless houses over the past month, and he still couldn't find the crimson jewel that is said to be able to grant any wishes. He was frankly, getting quite tired of being stuck as a one-feet-tall puppet with such short extremities and wobbly head. Heck, he couldn't even eat his favourite chocolate ice cream for one _bloody_ month already since his mouth doesn't open properly! Any doubt he had about the existence of magic has long disappeared since he got turned into a puppet. It was definitely a bad idea to piss off that _touchy_ witch…

Suddenly, a high pitched shriek from outside had interrupted the puppet's sulking. Curious, the puppet quickly hopped up to a nearby windowsill to check out the commotion. It's rather far from where he was (considering his current tiny size), but it seemed like a stare of snowy owls had found a prey and were trying to hunt it down. As he opened the window to get a clearer view, he immediately heard what sounded like a little boy crying for help. Were the owls hunting after a _child_?! Without a second thought, the puppet immediately grabbed his gears, released his hang glider and flew towards the attacking owls.

* * *

Sometimes he _really_ hated his luck…

…but there was no time to be ranting about something like that now, especially when he is currently trying to concentrate on outrunning a stare of hungry snowy owls, that's getting closer and closer by the _second_. Is this going to be the _end_ for him? He hadn't finished everything he wanted to do yet, and becoming owls' dinner is _definitely_ not on his list of life goals! Oh man, he wished he could be curling up next to a fireplace right now, like what most ordinary cats would do in a weather like this.

He had been crying for help, but seeing how he is in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night right now, things are certainly looking dim to him. It's not fun being a cat that no one could understand. The fact that there's snow _everywhere_ really didn't help either since his tiny paws kept getting stuck! As he got himself unstuck from the snow for who knows how many times tonight, a snowy owl flew right in front of him, spread its wings and blocked his way. Before he realized it, the snowy owl behind him grabbed him with its claw and he was brought right into midair_. Oh no, it's all_ _over!_ He instantly shut his eyes in preparation for his impending doom. He really didn't want to find out how the owls are going to take him apart–

_WOOF WOOOOOOF!_

Sapphire eyes snapped open to the sound of dogs' barking as the frightened snowy owl released its grip on him. He could feel the cold air brushing against his body as he gets dragged down by gravity for a few feet and dropped into the snowy fluffiness on the ground. He supposed he should be grateful that it was snowing, or else he'd probably have been severely injured from the fall. He watched in relief as the snowy owls fled in panic, and it suddenly hit him that instead of becoming owls' dinner, he could very well become _dog's_ dinner now. Should he play dead now? Do cats play dead? Would dogs buy it if he plays dead?

Before he could make up his mind, a small white figure fell from the sky and landed around ten feet away from him. Last he checked, dogs don't fly, so what saved him from the snowy owls? Puzzled, he slowly approached the incoming figure in caution…

…and bumped right into something rather soft and wobbly. He took another close look and realized that he had knocked over a white puppet. It was wearing a white suit, a white mantle, a red necktie, a blue shirt, and a giant white top hat that's almost as big as its head. It also had a silver monocle on its right eye and a creepy mad grin that's spread across its face. The puppet sat up and shook its head as if to get rid of the snow on its hat and face. Wow, technology these days sure is amazing; the puppet was acting just like a human! The puppet also dropped something with a dog's face on it. Was that a toy that makes animal sounds? So that's what saved him, huh? But why…?

The puppet got hold of itself as it stood up again and picked up its dog-faced toy. It stared at him for a few seconds before releasing a relieved sigh. "Oh, it's just a cat. Thought I heard a boy out here."

"Wow, it can even talk!" The grey cat's sapphire eyes widened as he commented in amazement.

This time it was the puppet's turn to be shocked. "A _talking_ cat?!"

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed my other stories, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! ^o^

**~~~~~~~~~ *\^o^*\ *\^o^/* /*^o^/* Merry X'mas */^o^*/ *\^o^/* *\^o^*\ ~~~~~~~~~~**

…but X'mas has already passed, so Happy Boxing Day it is XD. I wanted to write an X'mas themed fic to brighten up the winter blues, so here it is! Hope you like it!

Please don't ask why puppet KID's hang glider didn't get blown away by the wind lol. It was snowy but it wasn't windy? XDDDD

Title adapted from _GARNET CROW_'s _Ma`rionette Fantasia._ It's a song with a Winter-y melody, so go check it out if you can! =3


	2. The White Puppet & the Cerulean Kitten

**Words: **1412

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**Marionette Fantasia **

**Chapter 2: The White Puppet & the Cerulean Kitten**

" "You could hear _me_ talk?!" "

A shocked silence followed as the puppet and kitten both stared at each other and immediately checked their surroundings to make sure there wasn't anyone else around that could be speaking. Of course, there was nothing except for pure whiteness in their proximity as the snowy owls had long fled.

It was the white puppet who broke the silence first. "…you wouldn't happen to be a human who pissed off the Scarlet Witch, eh?"

"The _what?_"

"Nope, never mind. Well, I have never seen a talking _cat_ before, so please excuse me for being surprised." The puppet chuckled nervously while scratching its face.

"Well I have never seen a talking _puppet_ before either. Judging from your previous implication, were you a human that got turned into a puppet then?" The grey kitten continued as it tried to clean off some of the snow that got stuck on its face.

"Um, yeah, as unbelievable as it may or may _not_ have sounded… You seemed pretty rational for a _cat_."

"That's because I'm _not_ a cat." The kitten narrowed its eyes to emphasize its irritation.

The puppet blinked again in confusion. "You're _not_? But you said–"

"Long story short, it was an accident. I'm almost 100% certain it had nothing to do with witchcraft though. Let's just say my scientist friend was trying to experiment on something – which obviously failed – and I ended up like this." The kitten pointed to itself and sighed in exasperation as it continued to shiver. "Can we talk elsewhere? I don't know about you but I'm freezing here."

"Oh, sure. Let's head back to the village–" The puppet paused as it seemed to have remembered something and pulled out a silver pocket watch. "…all right, we still have a bit more time before sunrises. I can lead the way."

"If you're in a rush you can leave me here. I'm pretty sure I can manage if you give me directions."

The puppet snickered. "So that you could become owl's _dinner_ for real? Nah, I'll guide you there. Here, you can have this." With a quick sleight of hand, a white scarf appeared around the kitten's neck. Just as the kitten was wondering where the puppet hid the scarf previously, the puppet already equipped itself with a pair of metal skis and started to ski slowly towards some dim lights far away. The kitten shrugged briefly and continued to follow the puppet, while being mindful of not getting stuck in the snow again. He briefly wondered why the puppet appeared rather anxious after checking its watch, but decided to let the matter slide at the moment.

* * *

The grey kitten sighed in relief as he closed the window behind him. Just as the sun was about to rise, the puppet collapsed onto the snow and became unresponsive. He kept prodding the puppet and it wouldn't talk or even _twitch_! He almost thought he was dreaming about a talking puppet earlier, but the freezing sensation on his paws from the snow, and the white scarf around his neck speak otherwise. Fortunately, with sunlight pouring across the horizon, he could see that there is a village within their proximity. So he immediately picked up the puppet with his mouth and dragged it along towards the nearest building he could find. After all, he couldn't just leave his rescuer behind in the snow, right? Hopefully the puppet wouldn't mind taking shelter on a roll of hay in a barn for time being. At least it's nice and warm in here…

The kitten spared the motionless puppet another look before he hopped off the hay to explore the barn. With his stomach growling like crazy, his current priority would be to find himself some food. There has got to be some milk around, seeing how this barn houses a dozen cows… Maybe he could even get himself cleaned up by the sink over there. Content with what he found, the kitten continued his search for food.

* * *

The white puppet grunted as his senses returned to him. He really hated these forced naps whenever the sun rises. Hopefully he didn't land himself in any awkward places before he passed out–

He jolted right up as he suddenly remembered how he was supposed to be guiding a kitten he found to the village. Then he realized that he was sitting on hay rather than snow. _What the…_

"Hey, you're awake!"

The puppet turned and found that he was face to face with a kitten with beautiful sapphire blue eyes and cerulean fur. He swore he could recognize the owner of the voice – it sounded just like the grey kitten he saved the night before! Except the fur colour was different. Did the kitten took him here when he passed out? He also just noticed the white scarf and his ski gears in a neat pile right next to him. "Were you the cat back then…? Somehow you look different."

"Yup, I simply got myself cleaned while you were out like a light. Being covered in dust and dirt was grossing me out. Thanks for saving me last night by the way, Mr. Puppet." The cerulean kitten held out his right paw towards the puppet in appreciation.

"Oh, please call me KID," the puppet returned the handshake. "And Mr. Cat, your name is…?"

"Just call me Conan. It'd have been nice if you warned me before you passed out though. I almost thought I was hallucinating about a talking puppet there. Did it have anything to do with the sun? You kept checking your watch and all." Conan added as an afterthought.

"It has something to do with the Scarlet Witch's magic being neutralized by the moonlight. Anyhow, thanks for taking me indoors with you. It would be bad if I ended up _buried_ under the snow outside. It really sucks being a puppet that could only move during the night…" KID sighed as he takes a closer look at the kitten's cerulean fur and sapphire blue eyes. "I have never seen cats with fur and eye colour like yours though. I suppose that had something to do with your scientist friend's experiment?"

Conan groaned and slapped his paw on his forehead. "That's precisely what landed me here. The hunter that kidnapped me was saying how the landlord here would pay a hefty price for such a rare species… You have no idea how much crap I had to go through just to get out of there. You guys have one hell of a creepy landlord."

KID chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Sounds like you're an outsider then. Where are you from?"

"Beika Town. Can you give me the directions there?"

"That's… pretty far. Maybe a few days' drive? With the snow and everything right now even driving there can be pretty difficult, not to mention hiking for a _cat_."

Conan sighed in frustration. "Oh man, that means I'm gonna be stuck here for quite a long while then. It's not like I could ask anyone to take me there since no one could understand a cat – wait a sec, how come _you_ could understand me?!"

The white puppet shrugged. "I have no idea why either. It probably has something to do with the witch's magic. Glad it worked in someone's favour then. It must have been _destiny_ that brought us together~!" KID added cheekily and earned himself an irritated look from the unamused kitten. "How about this?"

"Huh?"

"I'm trying to find something that could possibly return me back to normal. Perhaps you could lend me a hand? I can take you home to your scientist friend right after that. I promise. Unfortunately I don't have a pinky finger so I hope my stringy arm would do?" KID grinned and held up his right arm in a pinky-promise gesture.

"Well, it's not like I got a plan B or anything like that…" Conan shrugged indifferently before wrapping his paw around KID's puppet hand. "I still owe you one for saving me from the snowy owls last night, after all."

KID laughed as the kitten's stomach growled immediately right after. He watched as the embarrassed kitten hopped off to help himself to some milk in a nearby bucket. The cerulean kitten has a very intriguing personality, and he always loved making cool friends. The search for the crimson jewel suddenly seemed a lot less tedious.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed this story, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! ^o^

I'm so slow at writing this (and anything in general) and I have no idea why. *sobs* I think work is slowly chewing my brain and creativity away…


	3. Dilemma

**Words: **1202

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**Marionette Fantasia **

**Chapter 3: **Dilemma

"Do I _really_ have to keep this on?"

KID chuckled as Conan continued to glare at the _offending_ (Conan's word, not his) red bowtie around Conan's neck. The red bowtie has a small tracer hidden in it, and it would allow KID to keep track of his cerulean kitten friend's whereabouts. They have been traveling together for a few days now, and KID had learned through the hard way that his kitten friend was a nothing but a _trouble_ magnet.

Although they had previous agreement that they would stay together whenever KID is asleep, Conan, being a curious kitten, kept landing himself in some sort of worrisome situation. On the second night, KID found Conan half dangling off a lamp. Yesterday night, Conan was found stuck behind a bookshelf. And just a couple of hours ago, Conan was _injured _from being attacked by other stray cats in an alley. KID was frankly, getting quite fed up with waking up alone and then frantically finding Conan trapped somewhere all the time like this. He couldn't help but feel rather guilty whenever he looked at the bandage around Conan's left forearm, even though he was well aware that it wasn't his fault that Conan hurt himself. If he didn't make it in time to chase away the strays earlier though, Conan might've– KID quickly shook the thought away.

"I simply wanted to make sure you're safe. With the tracer, at least I can search for you as soon as I'm awake."

"Seriously, am I _that_ unreliable?!"

The puppet's face twitched. "I think _reckless_ might be a better word for it."

Conan narrowed his eyes before releasing an exasperated sigh. He picked up the white scarf he got from KID a few nights ago and wrapped it around his neck, keeping the red bowtie out of view. "Fine. Where do you want to search now?"

KID raised an amused eyebrow to Conan's reaction. Was there something wrong about a red bowtie? "Why don't we rest tonight and give your arm a break?"

"I'm all right. Don't worry about my arm." The cerulean kitten made his point by heading towards the nearest window.

"Let's check out the Elric's house then. It's the one on the left." KID replied as he gathered his gears and followed Conan towards the window. Without knowing, he was growing quite fond of his new stubborn friend.

* * *

Conan and KID had already been traveling together for almost two weeks now. From what he had gathered, KID had been searching for a crimson jewel that supposedly would glow under the full moon and grant its bearer one wish. Except KID had no idea what that jewel looked like – heck, it is debatable whether or not such jewel even exists. Conan thought asking the so-called Scarlet Witch to undo KID's curse would have been a more realistic option, but the way KID reacted when he made that suggestion…

"No."

"But–"

"I. said. _NO._ And _don't_ ask why."

The cerulean kitten couldn't help but winced inwardly at the firm yet frightening tone that KID used when he said those words. That tone certainly doesn't sit well with the way how KID's puppet face remained grinning creepily. That made him _really_ curious though… what exactly did the magician do to get himself turned into a puppet?

From the way they interacted, he could tell that KID is a kind-hearted and accountable person. He knew that KID was upset about his previous injury, and that KID felt responsible for it. The puppet could have simply left him somewhere on the street to find his own way back to Beika Town, instead of having him tag along with the search for the crimson jewel. KID also kept reinforcing the promise to take him home. They were nothing but strangers two weeks ago, so Conan couldn't understand why KID felt so obligated to keep their promise. Seeing how they had made zero progress with the search for the crimson jewel, it's not like Conan was being helpful or anything anyway. KID probably spent more time keeping him from getting into trouble than searching for the jewel…

That aside, he must admit that KID was a very interesting company, and that he had really enjoyed the time they had spent together. He was truly grateful that KID found him and saved him from the snowy owls – or else he'd have been dead already. It really helped to have somebody around that could understand him and look out for him. Shame that they hadn't met under different circumstances... He was starting to wonder what kind of person KID was in his original human form. It would be nice if they could get more leads about that mystical crimson jewel soon… With that subconscious thought in mind, Conan continued to dig around the closet he was in.

* * *

Another week has passed with no heads or tails of the crimson jewel. By now, they have already searched through 90% of the village. The landlord's mansion and the Scarlet Witch's house were the only places left. KID felt like he's stuck in a dilemma right now, really. He absolutely refuses to confront the Scarlet Witch again, to the point that staying as a puppet forever almost sounded appealing. On the other hand, he doesn't want to search the landlord's mansion either, as he was well aware that Conan probably had very unpleasant memories in there (even though he wasn't told the details). He can't possibly make his friend suffer for his own needs.

It wasn't hard to tell that Christmas was quickly approaching with the various colourful and festive decorations around the village's marketplace. Everyone were planning get-togethers to spend time with their family and loved ones. As KID glanced at the cerulean kitten that's casually strolling beside, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of family and friends he has. He knows that Conan has a scientist friend who apparently has a vast interest in pharmacology (and Conan always ended up being the "victim" of her creations), but that's all he knows about him. Conan struck him as someone who is fairly independent, and Conan still seems to be quite chilled about the fact that he was stuck as a kitten in a completely unknown place. He'd think most ordinary people would be homesick or freaking out because of it already. Does Conan miss his family and friends?

While he definitely enjoyed spending the past few weeks with Conan, KID knew that he eventually would have to make a decision and conclude the search, so that Conan could go home. They have looked everywhere else already, so if the crimson jewel does truly exists, and it has got to be in one of the two places. They should probably call it a night and figure out which place to look tomorrow–

"_NYAAAAAA!_"

The puppet immediately snapped his head towards the source of a familiar shriek and found that Conan had fallen into one of the traps that were used to capture stray cats. _Not again…!_ The puppet cursed and he immediately made a dash towards said trap, except – everything before his eyes turned black as the morning sunlight disrupts the night serenity.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed this story, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! ^o^

**~~~~~~~~~ *\^o^*\ *\^o^/* /*^o^/* Happy Chinese New Year~! */^o^*/ *\^o^/* *\^o^*\ ~~~~~~~~~~**

Brief FMA reference lol. Please disregard how off-season this chapter / story is XDDDDD

Somehow this chapter turned into like, a collection of 3 choppy drabbles or something…

PS. Please feel free to point out / correct me if you notice any typos and errors. I was feeling a bit sick so I stayed home instead of going to work today. My head still feels a bit weird.


	4. Trapped

**Words: **910

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**Marionette Fantasia **

**Chapter 4:** **Trapped**

KID slowly opened his groggy eyes as his senses returned to him. He took a swift glance next to him and realized that he wasn't leaning on the familiar cerulean fur ball. Just as his head began to mindlessly rumble about how troublesome a certain curious kitten was, his memories came back in a snap.

_Conan…!_

The puppet immediately stood up and that's when he realized that he was surrounded by some sort of garnet-coloured bars. It oddly felt like a bird cage, judging from the way it rocked with his movement. Confused, he stepped towards the bars in attempt to examine what they were, and was interrupted by a seductive voice.

"Good evening, Kuroba-kun."

Stunned, KID slowly turned towards the source of the voice, and wasn't surprised to find that it was none other than the Scarlet Witch herself. It didn't take him long to guess who it was that captured him in this cage.

The woman dressed in dark red robe smiled slyly as she rose from her throne and teleported to merely one step away from the bird cage. She brushed aside her rosewood-coloured bangs in a graceful manner before she reached her forefinger into the bird cage, and raised the white puppet's chin with her sharp, red-violet finger nail. "Did you enjoy your life as a puppet over the past few weeks?"

"What do you want?" An allegorical cold sweat slid down KID's forehead as he tried his best to ignore the pointy nail under his chin. Before he passed out, he was certain that he had more than an hour left before sunrise. Considering his current circumstances, the witch in front of him probably messed up his pocket watch so that he'd miss the opportunity to settle down before passing out.

"I'm sure you knew what it was that I wanted from you." The Scarlet Witch narrowed her eyes as her lips quirked up slightly, while maintaining her wicked aura.

"I'm sure you knew that my answer is still gonna be a '_no_'." He can't be wasting time dealing with the witch now. He has no idea where Conan is right now, and anything could happen during the six hours that he had been passed out! If memory serves him right, Conan was caught in a stray trap the last time he saw him!

The witch released the puppet's chin as she snapped her fingers, where a crystal ball materialized into midair. "I saw something that you may find interesting."

Feeling rather uneasy, KID slowly shifted his eyes to peek at the crystal ball, which has some sort of image gradually fading in view. His eyes widened as he took in the familiar cerulean fur in the image. He couldn't tell where exactly the kitten was, as everything in the surrounding was dark and unrecognizable in the crystal ball's image. Judging from Conan's expression though, it seemed he was frightened – as if he was hiding from something. "…_Conan?! _What did you do to him?"

"Watch who you're accusing, I didn't do anything to your kitten friend there." The Scarlet Witch snapped her fingers again and the crystal ball disappeared in a puff of red smoke. "Though I'm curious… is there any reason why you cared so much about this kitten? As far as I know, you just met merely three weeks ago."

"That's none of your business, Koizumi-san. Where is he?!"

The witch frowned in a bitter manner. "Why should I tell you? I gain nothing from it."

KID bit his inner cheek nervously. She was right. There was no reason why she should tell him anything, and he knew the witch all too well; she has never been the generous type. Time is ticking by the second and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried about his kitten friend. He wasn't exactly sure why he cared so much about the kitten either, but somewhere deep down in his mind, keeping his promise with him seemed to be the right thing to do. It doesn't seem very fair to leave Conan in danger because of his and the witch's personal issues. He is pretty certain that the witch knows where Conan was but simply wasn't willing to tell him. He didn't want to compromise, but…

"How about we make a deal, Koizumi-san? You tell me where Conan is, give me some time to save him and find a way to send him home, and then you can have whatever you wanted from me."

The Scarlet Witch raised one of her eyebrows as she appeared to be contemplating over his words. A few moments later, at another snap of her fingers, a bracelet with several garnet stones and tiny skulls appeared around KID's puppet neck. "It's _Akako-sama_. I'll take your words for the time being, Kuroba-kun. If you try to betray me though, the consequences are going to be harsh." She finished as she signaled towards her own ruby necklace, and waved her hand to unlock the bird cage. "I believe he is somewhere in the landlord's mansion."

KID gave the bracelet around his neck a disgusted glimpse as he hopped off the bird cage. "Don't worry, Koi- I mean, _Akako-sama_… I'll return after I'm done." Without another word, he made a quick dash towards the nearest window and released his hangglider. He'll worry about the stupid _cursed_ bracelet later – now he had to get Conan off the landlord's hands before it's too late.

_TBC._

* * *

**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed this story, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! ^o^

**~~~~~~~~~ *\^o^*\ *\^o^/* /*^o^/* Happy Valentine's Day~! */^o^*/ *\^o^/* *\^o^*\ ~~~~~~~~~~**

This story is starting to make no sense whatsoever LOL. Oh well…


	5. Reunion

**Words: **1412

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**Marionette Fantasia **

**Chapter 5:** **Reunion**

As the white puppet gradually disappeared into the dark gray sky, the Scarlet Witch stepped away from the window and returned to her throne. She released a melancholic sigh before she snapped her fingers again and a large oval mirror materialized itself in front of her. Images of an energetic teenager with violet eyes in a white suit performing countless magic tricks for children in the village can be seen in the mirror.

She remembered the day when KID the traveling magician arrived in Ekoda Village two months ago. Due to the location of the village, it hardly gets any visitors. It goes without saying that the whole village was _thrilled_ about this newcomer. Both adults and children loved attending his magic shows. She was intrigued by how the magician could perform all those mesmerizing magic tricks despite not having any sorcery and witchcraft ability. She soon befriended the magician, learned of his real name, and also found out that he was traveling as part of his training to become a truly skillful magician that his father would approve of. As the days go by, she somehow was unable to take her attention away from the captivating magician any more.

One day, she invited him to her house and asked him to stay with her forever. She wanted to be the only one who could enjoy his magic shows; she didn't want to share him with anyone else. To her surprise, the magician had outright refused her proposal even though she had offered to give him whatever treasure he desires. They ended up in an immense fight and out of pure rage, she had turned him into a white puppet by accident. Despite the situation, the magician still refused to comply, and had eventually managed to escape from her house.

It was also the day he had stopped calling her Akako-chan.

Akako couldn't get out of that stinging, bitter feeling she felt when he called her _Koizumi-san_ earlier, and she wasn't completely sure why she'd feel so distraught and _distressed_ by the fact that he cared more about that cerulean kitten instead of _her_. Anyhow, now that she had placed her cursed binding bracelet on him, it shouldn't take more than a day before he completely falls under her spell and return to her once again.

* * *

Did he mention how much he _hated_ being a cat?

Conan slowed down to catch his breaths as he finally managed to hide himself away without being seen by the landlord's servants. Back then in his mind, he _knew_ that he was heading straight to a stray trap, yet his curious cat instinct kept driving him towards that Silver Vine inside… Stupid cat instincts. He can't wait till he could go home and get his scientist friend Haibara to fix this epic _mess_.

He took a peek at the clock earlier and noted that it was already 4 o'clock in the afternoon. That means KID should have been awake by now. Hopefully KID didn't get buried under the snow or anything like that, though… unfortunately they didn't manage to settle indoor before sunrise. He wondered if KID had forgotten to wind his pocket watch that day hence they had the wrong time in mind. Oh well, not that it matters anymore at the moment.

"My dear _Watson_~! Where are you?!"

Just as Conan was about to step out of the closet, he could hear the landlord's voice down the hallway. He immediately ducked back into the closet in hopes that the landlord hasn't spotted him. Thinking about it simply sent chills down his spine… the landlord was _so_ obsessed with keeping track of everything he did that it was beyond _creepy_. Was it really _necessary_ to measure how much food he ate down to the _milligram_ and how much time he spent emptying his bowels down to the _second_?! Even the mere thought of being stalked 24/7 made him cringe in disgust. Geez, he had no idea how the other pets in the house survived without turning insane.

He had to figure a way out of the landlord's mansion and find KID as soon as he could. Holding his breath, he focused on the chattering noises outside. Once it was perfectly quiet again, he poked his head out of the closet to make sure no one was within his vicinity. Taking a quick glance at the red bowtie around his neck to make sure it was still there, he left the closet to continue his search for a way to leave the mansion without being sighted.

* * *

KID could almost feel his stomach growling hungrily and his mouth watering at the sight of a triple layered chocolate cake that's sitting on a counter in the landlord's kitchen – except that he doesn't have a stomach or any salivary glands right now. Last he checked, his mouth still doesn't open, and his inner organs probably consisted of nothing but stuffed cotton in his current puppet form. Every encounter he has with delicious looking food is a painful reminder of how much it _sucks_ to be a puppet. Why did the only opening in the landlord's mansion had to be the _kitchen_ window?! All those whipped cream and chocolate chips on the cake looked so _yummy_…

Resisting the urge to storm over to the cake and destroy it into pieces (if he can't eat it, no one can!), KID discreetly sneaked into the hallway while the chef wasn't looking. If he stared at that cake any longer he'd probably turn insane. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd have to be stuck as a puppet forever. With that stupid bracelet around his neck right now, he probably wouldn't be able to spend any more time searching for the crimson jewel later on. Not to mention how it's highly likely for Akako to already be in possession of said jewel, since she did mention that she liked to collect rare stones and jewels for their magical power…

Shaking the negative thoughts away, KID reached into his pocket to retrieve a round metal radar, and immediately switched it on. If his cerulean kitten friend still had the red bowtie on, the radar should tell him where Conan was. According to the radar, his target was relatively close by. KID immediately broke into a run while keeping his eyes trained on the radar's screen. In a matter of minutes, he bumped right into something rather soft and furry, and was forced to roll backwards from the impact. Somehow this oddly felt familiar.

"KID!"

The lightheaded puppet looked up and was more than relieved to see that it was none other than his cerulean kitten friend who knocked him over. "Conan! Are you all right?"

"Yeah I'm okay. How about you– what's with that necklace with the skulls and red stones? I never knew that you were into gothic jewelry." Conan commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh this– Don't mind it. Anyhow, let's get you out of here. This way!" KID turned around and was about to make a run for the kitchen, except a strong tug on his white mantle stopped him and he fell flat on his face. If he had sensations his face would definitely be aching.

"Oops, sorry. In any case, slow down! There is something I wanted to show you." Conan released his paws from the puppet's mantle and kneeled in front of the puppet as the puppet slowly sat up. "Just follow me."

In confusion, KID stood up to walk alongside Conan as the kitten began to make his way back into the depth of the mansion. What could it be that Conan wanted to show him, which was more important than getting away from this freaky place? They carefully maneuvered themselves to stay hidden from the passing by people; some of them were servants looking for Conan. After a few minutes, they reached what appeared to be an unlit party room.

Stood in front of them, was a large and fancy Christmas tree right beside the balcony window. The evergreen pine was decorated with colourful illuminations sparkling along the body of the tree, and various gift boxes were sitting underneath by its foot. On the top of the tree was one giant star-shaped shiny crystal.

The Christmas tree itself was indeed a magnificent sight to see, but was there any particular reason why Conan had to _risk_ being caught by the landlord to show this to him?

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed this story, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! ^o^

If there's any Akako and Hakuba fans reading this, sorry about making them so silly (for the lack of a better word) LOL.

For the sunrise and sunset time, I used _Whitehorse_, Yukon as reference. In December, it typically has sunrise at around 10am and sunset at around 4pm. In other words, Conan and KID had about 18 hours every day to explore the village.

And no I'm not trying to mock _Hakuba's_ name here XDDDDDDDDDDDDDD


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